Generations connect for improved wellbeing

Much like the heart-warming scenes from hit ABC television show Old People’s Homes for 4 Year Olds, the Maroondah GenConnect program seeks to unite our children and seniors to improve their health and happiness.

The initial pilot program kicked off at Maroondah Occasional Care in Croydon on Thursday 1 July, with 10 senior citizens invited to spend the morning with some very excited children. Together, they enjoyed getting to know each other, while taking part in popular activities such as reading, painting and playing games.

During last week’s program, the star of the show was Malibu the therapeutic pony, whose visit proved to be a great connector and starter of conversations. The miniature pony, with an incredibly lovable temperament, received an almost rockstar-like welcome from the children, as he allowed them to give him a nice pat.

GenConnect participant, Sue Jameson, said she was having a great time interacting with the children.

“It brings me so much joy to see their happy faces and hear their laughter. I’ve been sitting here quietly reading with Bridget. She’s such a bright, lovely child and knows many of the words in the story. We’ve been having a good chat, too,” she said.

“I live locally and it’s a pleasure if we can give something back to these children. You can see how much they’ve loved having Malibu here today. They’ve been so well-behaved around him.

“This is such a great program and you can see how the older and younger generations can benefit from each other’s company.”

The concept for GenConnect had been put on hold due to the outbreak of COVID-19. In the meantime, the runaway success of the award-winning ABC series provided some clues about its potential for success. In fact, many of the senior participants in Maroondah are fans of the show and were overjoyed when they heard about the program.

Maroondah Mayor, Councillor Kylie Spears, said GenConnect had great potential to achieve positive outcomes.

“The program is about much more than just tackling loneliness and isolation in our community. This is about creating meaningful connections with their local community in a way that improves wellbeing,” Cr Spears said.

“The beauty of this program is the children adore the interaction. So, the seniors get back as much as they give.

“The underlying theme is also the lockdowns that we’ve experienced. Some of the participants may not have seen their own families or grandchildren for some time. Or they have had limited visitation during this period. So, seeing the bright smiles of these children is doing an untold amount of good.”

The emphasis on an intergeneration program is to build and maintain meaningful relationships between children and older people which has many positive benefits such as:

In younger children, intergenerational programs can increase skills in literacy, build knowledge and reduce ageism. For older people, they can promote wellbeing by enhancing mood, mobility and a sense of worth.